Web-holder mechanism for knitting machines



Sept. M, 1923. 1,467,691

. d R. w. SCOTT WEB HOLDER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 9 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 j i 30 20 50 g g0 30 if R. W. SCOTT WEB HOLDER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 9, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. it, 1923-.

were ar teaser eaa' once.

ROBERT w. sdorr, or BABYLON, new YORK.

WEB-HOLDER MECHANISM Application filed April 9,

for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to web-holder mechanism, sometimes called sinker mechanism, for knitting machines.

The general purposes of such mechanism are to act upon the last knit course to feed the fabric away from the needles course by course as fast as it is knit; to provide stops against which a yarn of fabric loop on a relatively-moving knitting needle may abut, these stops serving'in one direction of motion to define a point beyond which the pre viously-knit course may not be carried in the direction in which the knit loop is drawn by the needle-hook; and to hold down the knit web, as th'emeedles rise.

In circular knitting machines the posi-- tion and motion of the Web-holders is radial; the construction of such machines implies arrangements by which the web-holders are held against movement in the direction of the length of the operating needles, and further necessitates arrangements by which the flat, thin web-holders can be prevented from tilting out of the planes normally occupied by them. No prior device of whichI am aware is successful in attaining these results. The usual construction provides a radially-grooved web-holder .,dial or bed made as an annulus attached to the outside of the needle cylinder, an in ner web-holder ring having a series of radial guide slots placed between the needle grooves, and a web-holder cam-ring mounted for rotative motion with respect to the webholder bed to work the web-holders in their guides.

' The vertical position of the web-holders is not accurately controlled by such struc- .'tures ordinarily employed, and means haveheretofore been proposed to increase the ac- --'curacy of this position o f web holders, such as providing that art of their grooved guiding means whic lies within the position of the needles with means limiting the v motion of apart of the web-holders vertically, either upwardly, or downwardly, or

FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

1920. Serial No 372,387.

both, the outer ends of the web-holders being prevented from much motion by the coaction of their supporting bed or dial and their actuating cam-ring.

When extremely fine gages are employed for the production of hosiery, frequently as fine as 24 needles to the inch, the depth of cutting of the .inner grooved web-holder ring makes the partitions between the grooves so thin and so weak that the ordinary strains of knitting tend to bend these' partitions, and consequently to throw the web-holders out of line with the knitting needles. This results in faults in the fabric,

such as holes and unsightly lines. When at tempt has been made to make these slots shallow, in order to .make the partitions stronger, this has been done at the sacrifice of properly positioned bearing surfaces for the web-holder, the outwardly-distant web-holder cam ring having to serve as the means to retain the web-holders downward against the upward thrust of the needle.

This expedient is successful only when the parts are new, since the leverage of the upward thrust on the thin web-holder rapidly wears away the underside of its cam ring and the outer end of its bed groove. This wear is irregular and causes'irregularity of length of the knit loops.

Other prior constructions of which I am aware have all either called for too deep --cutting of slots, in order to accommodate a lower armor finger on the web-holder which could be engaged within the line of needles and held down by a retaining ring, or have necessitated the provision within the needle cylinder and in the direction of the thrust of the web-holders of other types of retaining means, all characterized by closed pockets or bottoms in the line of the thrust of the web-holders which after operation for a little time become clogged with impacted lint, are diflicult to clean, and result in irregularly limiting the inward thrust of the web-holders and uneven fabric,

and often also result in brokenpartitions between grooves.

One principal object of the present invention is to provide a web-holder mechanism which will efliciently guide web-holders accurately spaced between the needles and accurately erect; which will provide easily-constructed accurate guiding surfaces coacting with linear edges'of the web-holder toposition the web-holder accurately in respect to both the downward thrust and the upward thrust of the needles; which will prevent wearof theweb-holder bearing surfaces; which will provide against accumulations of lint; which will provide means for resiliently controlling the motion of the webholders; which will enable resilient holding of the needles at a relatively high point, and which Will prevent the faults of inaccurate position, breakage and undue wear characteristic of theprior art.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a diametrical section through a typical needle cylinder head, web-holder bed, web-holder cam ring and web-holder ring of a circular knitting machine, illustrating one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the web-holder ring as shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of a preferred type of Web-holder Figure 4 is an enlarged radial section of the web-holder ring shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is an under plan View of one type of the Web-holder cam ring;

Figure 6 is a detail elevation looking in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 5;

Figure 7 is adetail plan of a modified form of web-holder ring;

Figure 8 is an under shown in Fig. 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation'of the part shown in Figs. 7 and 8;

Figure 10 is a. radial section on a larger scale, of a web-holder ring showing a fur-= ther modification;

Figure '11 is a radial section through a web-holder groove of a further modification of the web-holder ring; and i I Figure 12 is a detailplan, enlarged, of the form shown in Fig. 11.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the needle cyllnder 1 may be externally grooved at 2 for any type of needle, and may be provided with any suitable means, such as the flange 3 cut through by the needle grooves 2, upon which the web-holder bed 10 is tightly fitted. As usual in the art, the bed 10 is radially grooved at 11, the grooves being spaced between the needl grooves 2 in the assembled structure; the bed 10 may provide a hearing at 12 as usual for a depending annular flange 13 of the web-holder cam-ring 15 (Figs. 1 and 5), carrying the usual withdrawing cam 16 and advancing cams 17 17, controlling the butts 21 of the web-holders 20 mounted in the grooves 11 of the bed 10.

The usual circular groove 18 may limit the plan View of the part position of butts 21 except at the cams 16,

. 17, and the relative time of insertion of webholders having longer butts may be controlled by a movable cam 19, as usual. A

parallel-faced radial slot 7 is formed through ring 15, except flange 13, at a place over a part of flange 13 strengthened by a lug 8, to receive a removable gate 9 formed with matching segments of flange 13 and groove 18. Removal of gate 9 permits access to or removal of the web-holders without disturbing the ring 15.

Apreferred type of web-holder, as best shown in Fig. 3, may consist of a parallelfaced fiat piece of sheet metal having operating butt 21, a knocking-over surface 22, and a hold-down hook 23 defining a throat at 23 Where it merges into surface 22. Preferably the bottom edge 24 of the web-holder is straight except for a bevel at its inner end; and the body of the web-holder may be divided into an upper arm 25 and a lower arm 26, the bottom surface 27 of the upper arm being straight and parallel with the bottom 24 of the web-holder, the upper surface 28 of the lower arm 26 also being straight and parallel with the bottom 24 of the web-holder. The slot 27, 28, between the arms 25, 26, ends at 27 at a substantial distance outwardly from the throat 23, for instance so far as to bring the throat 23 over the middle of the edge 27, for purposes presently explained. The size, shape and dimensional relations between the edges 27, 28, 24, .the surface 22, and the hook 23 may of course be accurately the same throughout the series employed in the machine, for uniform knitting. The upper arm 25 and the lower arm 26 may be refoot portion and the slackly-knit upper leg portion, it is desirable that the web-holders shall be held resiliently inward, and for coil spring band 30 completely encircling the instruments and tending to force them toward the center of the machine. Heretofore, so far as I am aware, spring bands of this nature have been used only with webholders of the type pivoted at their lower ends, or at the outer ends of sliding webhold'ers beyond their operating butts.

It will be understood that such a spring is more effective when the amount of motion of the part controlled by it is larger in proportion to the length of the spring, and that therefore the spring band should be placed as near the center of the machine as possible. This is'provided for in the present invention by a recess 31 at the shoulder 32 joining the upper and lower arms, and well within the operating butts of the web-holders, so that the band 30 when 110 I I this purpose I prefer to employ and endlessis such as to render it accessible for removal through the free space above the notches 31 and shoulders 32 of the assembled series .of web-holders, the band lying 'wholl within the inner periphery of the weh-hol 'er cap 15. In the preferred form shown the band and the operating butt exert their stress in line with the bearing surface 27 on one edge of the web-holder slot and the cam-contacting surfaces of the butts 21;.

Breakage of the band is not likely to damage the fragile web-holders, since the broken sections can not. We'll leave the deep slot between ring 15 and the series of recesses 31. Such breakage will not prevent operation, however, since the. motion of the web-holders relied upon is positive, and the limits of their 'motion are controlled by Y abutment flanges respectively of ring 15 and ring 35. The ring 15 may be cut away at 33 to provide roomfor the outward motion of the'web-holders and their band, as best shown in Fig. 5. Y

The vertical, lateral or fore-and-aft angular position of theknocking-over surfaces 22 of the web-holders 20 should not be-subject to irregular change from wear 'or disthis by means of a bearing 39 (Fig. 4) for the lower straight edge 27 of the upper arm 25 of the web-holder against downward thrusts on a machined, turned, or ground, and therefore accurate, surface of the web-holder ring 35 lying cross-wise of,

the direction of the thrust, at a point as near the surface 22 as possible (to prevent lateral rocking), and preferably intersecting the series of needles.

The bearing 39 is substantially above the bottom edges 24 .of the web-holders 20 and their hearing in their bed 10.

The web-holders 20 are prevented from rising with the upward thrust of the rising needles by a similar bearing 40 (Fig. 4) for the upper straight surface 28 of the lower arm 26 of the web-holder on an annular surface of the ring 35 extending from a point outside of the line defined by the needles to a point inside the line defined by the needles, and hence lying across the line of, thrust. These arrangements, .with respect to turning moments which can affect the web-holders, place the centers of effort of turning forces within the bases respectively represented by the bearingsf39 and 40, and hence are such as to prevent any pivotal or rocking tendency of the webholders against any other bearing than that of the turned surfaces of ring 35, and therefore unequal wear of different partsof these surfaces in long use is prevented. Neither the webeholder bed 10 nor cam ring 15 is relied upon for the fore, and aft an la-r positions of the instruments.

in spaced relation between the needles is effected by relatively shallow slots 46 in the upper edge of the ring 35 (Figs. 2 and 4).

As will be plain from the drawing, these slots laterally position the upper arm 25 of the web-holder at a considerable distance above the lateral bearings for the main body of the web-holders at the lower edge 24 of the web-holders afiorded by the slots 11. The erect position of the web-holder, prevention of lateral wabbling, and relief of lateral bending strain on the ring partitions are thus secured.

In the form of web-holder ring 35 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the ring 35 is made separate from the needle cylinder 1, being turned to a'bearing fit within the cylinder 1 at. surface 36 and having an exterior flange 37 to rest upon the turned upper edge of the needle cylinder, in which it may be fastened by the usual set screw 38 (Fig. 1).

The ring 35 is provided with a peripheral flange 45 having the turned parallel hearing surfaces 39 and 40 (Fig. 4). The surface 40 is one wall of an annular groove 41 extending well inwardly, for instance, as shown, beyond the bearing surface 36 defining the inner periphery of the needle cylinder.- The bottom of the groove 41 constitutes a shoulder 42, against which the lower arm 26 of the web-holders 20 may abut to limit theextreme inward movement of the ,vent a misplaced latch standing at right angles to its needle from collision with the loottom27 of the groove in the web-holders on the inward thrust of the-web-holders. The open space between the bottom 27 and the flange .45 is too wide to accumulate lint, is not laterally closed by housing in a groove, and is moreover constantly cleared by the fanningaction of the rapidly opening and closing latches of the advancing and retracting needles. Spring 30, being he lateral positioning of the web-holders I still further outward than slot-bottom 27,

is safely out of reach of the opening and closing latches.

. The profile of the ring 35 may slope in wardly at conical surface 43, and have a turned surface 44 in line with the bottoms of the needle grooves. Peripheral flange 45 is radially milled through to form grooves 47 (Fig. 2) for the reception of the needles. .The grooves 47 forthe needles are relied upon to space the needles laterally at a relatively high point in relationto the knocking-over surfaces 22. 1

It will be observed that the shallow positioning slots 46 for the upper arms 25 of the web-holders are formed in the triangular upwardly extending edge of the ring in metal of little cross section. These shallow slots 46 are preferably formed as usual by a milling operation. As well known tomachinists, such thin milled slots are difficult to make of uniform depth; I therefore prefer not to rely on the bottoms of the slots 46 for any part of the vertical positioning of the web-holder, and therefore I out these slots out to a sloping line 00 at an angleto the linear of the surface 39 of flange relied upon for the vertical position of the Web-holder on the down-stroke of the needle. The metal cut through by the slots 46 is so thin vertically and radially of the ring that such rings can be milled with accuracy without danger of bending the short, and therefore stiff, partitions between them by the clogging of the milling, cutter. In use the partitions bytheir shortness and stiffness resist lateral bending strains put upon the web-holders-inserted in the slots.

Reliance upon the bottom 42 of groove 41 for restraining motion in one dimension of the web-holder would introduce defects in operation if means were not provided to prevent accumulation of lint in the bottom of the slot. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4,

constant clearance may be effected by pro?- viding openings into the bottom of the slot 42 in any desired manner; for instance, milling-cuts 50 of-less Vertical height than the width of the slot 41 (Figs. 1 and 4), preferably flush with its bottom surface, may be formed (leaving integral bridges 51 in as many places about the cylinder as may be desired) without disturbing the shoulders 42 against which the arms 26 of the web-holders may abut. If the bearings of the slot 41 op-. posite the bridges 51 should accumulate lint, they may be cleaned by the insertion of a tool in the slots 50, but the air-currents moving through the slots 50 and the constant motion of the webholders tend to keep this space clean without further aid.

As an illustration of one of the numerous alternative forms which the openings 'into the bottom of the slot 41 may take, I have shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 a construction in which a large number of shallow depressions 52 are formed through the flange 37 and surfaces 36 of the ring 35, such depressions 52 preferably being formed by a milling cutter and having their upper edges 53 (see Fig. 9) beneath the bearing surface 40 for the upward thrusts. Or, as shown in Fig. 10, depressions of the type 52, 53, may be formed in a ring having the slots 50 only at the places of the bridges 51 between the slots 50, thus providing free clearance for lint at all parts of the bottom of the groove 41.

Other-variations of the cross-section of the ring 35 are permissible in connection with any of the remaining features of the ring. For instance, as illustrated in Fig. 11, the flange 45 may be extended outwardly to prolong the bearing surface for the lower edges 27 of the upper arms 25 of the webholders 20 and to provide a recess for a .the rigid support of their hooks for accurate contact. with the transfer instrument being thus made possible with thinner and more resilient needles, or with needles having greater bends out of true alignment, than can be secured by any other means of which I am aware. Support such as secured by the band 61 is also highly desirable for use with two-part latchless needles, as indicated at 62 (Fig. 12), serving to hold the needle members together in working position.

What I claim is:

1. A knitting machine having therein needles. Web-holders, and bearing means for supporting the web-holders against thrusts communicated to them in opposite directions by the needles acting through fabric in contact with the needles and web-holders, said bearing means comprising surfaces severally lying across the direct-ions of thrust and onboth sides of the centers of effort thereof, whereby to prevent fore and aft turning stresses upon the web-holder.

2. A knitting machine having therein a needle cylinder and needles, web-holders, a web-holder bed for guiding the lower edges of the web-holders and bearing means on the needle cylinder'for supporting the webholders' against a thrust communicated to them by the needles acting through fabric in contact with the needles and web-holders comprising a surface lying above the webholder bed and across the direction of thrust and on both sides of the center of effort thereof, and extending between the needles.

3. A knitting machine having therein needles, a series of web-holders, and means.

common bearing surface for all of the web holders lying across the direction of thrust and on bot-h sides of the center 'of effort thereof upon the web-holders.

4:. A knitting machine having therein needles, web-holders, and means for supporting the web-holders against thrusts in different directions communicated to them by the needles acting through the fabric, comprising a web-holder ring having bearings for edges of the web-holders severally lying across the directions of the said thrusts and on each side of the center of effort thereof upon the web-holders.

5. A knitting machine having therein a needle-cylinder, needles, and a web-holder ring adapted to be held within the needles, said ring having a bearing surface for webholders extending outwardly beyond the needles, in combination with web-holders, and means for actuating the web-holders.

6. A knitting machine having therein needles, web-holders, and means for supporting the web-holders against thrusts in different directions communicated to them by the needles acting through the fabric,

comprising a web-holder ring having a' flange penetrated by grooves for the needles and having plane faces adapted to form bearings for edges of the web-holders severally lying across the directions of said thrusts and on each side of the center of the we -holders laterally by coactionwith one only of said arms.

' 8. Web-holder supporting and guiding means for knitting machines having therein means coacting with parts of web-holders to resist lateral rocking, comprising a ring having thereon groove partitions for laterally spacing the web-holders, a downward bearing, surface for an edge of the webholders extending acrossthe line of resultant downward thrusts of thefabric adapted to coact with a lower edge of a web-holder at a point near the edge of the web-holder supporting the fabric, and a web-holder bed having coves for guiding an edge of the web-hold; substantially lower than said first-mentioned edge; a

9. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereon a flange grooved for the reception of needles and halving upper and lower bearing surfaces extending outwardly beyond the bottoms of the needlegroovesto resist downward and upward and lower bearingsurfaces extending outneedles "in combination with web-holders,

means for actuating the web-holders, and means permitting release of lint tending to accumulate in the path of the web-holders.

11. A knitting machine having therein a needle-cylinder, needles, and a web-holder ring adapted to be held within the needles,

.said ring having a bearing surface for webholders extending outwardly beyond the needles, web-holders, and means for actuating the Web-holders, said ring being provided with openings giving .free clearance for lint impelled by the operating stroke of the web-holders.

12. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereon means for laterally spacing and guidi web-holders, and means for vertical]v positioning the welt holders, comprising a peripheral groove in the ring having a bottom adapted to engage and limit inward motion of the webholder, said ring having therein lint-clearance openings taking into said groove.

13. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereona flange grooved for the reception of needles and having upper 10o wardly beyond the bottoms of the needlegrooves to resist downward and upward displacement of upper and lower arms of web-holders spaced between the needlegrooves, said ring having a peripheral groove, one wall of which is said lower bearing surface, and a limiting stop for in ward motion of the web-holders.

14. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereon a peripheral flange affording a bearing against vertical thrusts for web-holders grooved to laterally space needles, in combination with a spring-band there encircling the needles at the vertical position of said flange.

15. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereon a peripheral bearmg flange for web-holders grooved to lateral y space needles, said flange having therein a recess to receive a spring-band there encircling the needles.

16. Web-holder mechanism for circular knitting machines, comprising a web-holder bed grooved for the reception of sliding web-holders, web-holders in said bed having operating butts and an outwardly-facing shoulder inward of said butts, and a camring for operating the web-holders having a withdrawing cam thereon, in combination with a resilient bandseated between said 353*) shoulder and said cam-ring, said cam-rin being recessed 'to provide clearance for sai band at the places of withdrawal of the Wel)holders.

17. A web-holder ring for knitting machines having thereon a peripheral flange with upper and lower machined surfaces adapted to guide edges of the web-holders, and with an upper edge cut through by slots adapted 'to receive the web-holders, in combination with web-holders, the bottoms of said slots being spaced away from the bearing edges of the web-holders bearing on the surface of said peripheral flange.

18. A web-holder for knitting machines having a lower straight sliding edge, and having an operating butt, a hold-down hook for the fabric, and a shoulder recessed to receive a spring-band lying between said hook and said butt on the edge opposite to the sliding edge, whereby the band is accessible for removal when the Web-holder is in use.

19. Web-holder mechanism for circular knitting machines, comprising a web-holder bed grooved for the reception of sliding web-holders, web-holders in said bed having operating butts on one edge and an out wardly facing shoulder inward of said butts on said edge, and a cam cap for operating the web-holder having an interior opening larger than the periphery defined by the said shoulders of the respective web-holders, in combination with a resilient band a seated between said shoulder and said cam cap, and thereby being adapted to be removed through the space between the series 20f shoulders and the cam cap;

'20-. A web holder having therein a slot having a closed bottom, said slot defining arms adapted to straddle a bearing member and having outward of the bottom of the slot a shoulder'recessed to provide a seat for the other edge.

21. A web holder having thereon a plurality of straight arms extending in the same direction, one of the said arms having an edge to serve as a bearing surfacefor support upon a bearing member, said arm having on its other edge and substantially above the middle of the bearing edge means to engage and hold the fabric.

- 22. Web-holder mechanism comprising a cam ring having a groove for operating butts of-web-holders and a depending flange, and a slot intersecting I the. ring and its groove and bridged by said flange, in combination with a gate having a segment of the groove formed therein adapted to be removably held in said slot.

S ned by me at New York, N, Y., this 6th (lay of April, 1920.

ROBERT w. sooTT. 

